Mechnician's Tool

I saw him pull that odd piece out once more, using it to fiddled with the lock. He open the big fold, and flipped out one long thin piece. He pulled a single piece out from a slide and fiddled in the lock. He stopped, smirked, and flipping out a small thin scraping tool he began to probe the area around the lock. “Trapped,” he said.

Also known as a Trapsman tool.

History
Their formal name is Mechnicians, but others call them Tinkers, Lockcrafters, Trapsmiths, Impressors, and crazed fools. These are the people who make intricate things like locks, traps, sliding doors, retracting awnings for solars, and clocks. Being an inventive breed, they are always making things to make making things easier. Most notably, they create their own special tools. Being an iconoclastic bunch, a hundred Mechanicians will have hundred different “own special tools” with some overlap - as good ideas are good ideas.

Each member has to start with something. One of the Journeyman Guild Tasks, if one can call the Mechnicians a real guild, is to create their first special tool from a common type. The items must include several set parts and must be made to exacting standards. Eventually, the Mechanician grows beyond this basic tool, making another that better fits their needs. Most are either given away or sold. Thus there are thousands of these floating through the Land. And they have found their way into the hands of many a rogue, and others of an adventurous bent.

Full Item Description
In its storage position, two handle pieces (each about 6”/15cm long, .5”/1.2cm wide and thick). These handle pieces are normally metal (steel), but some are wood or bone. They often have measures scratched into the back of the handles. There is often a fixed lanyard ring attached to one handle.

In the open position (which is like a butterfly style opening), a gripper is exposed with the two handle pieces becoming obvious gripper handles. Sometimes the gripper head is a tapper (small hammer) or scissors/ cutters, or other tool.

Now out of insets (hollow areas) in the handles, other tools are kept. Most of these “fold out” from an end hinge. Some are simply kept there. The exact tools vary a great deal, but most of the tools are blades/shivs (straight and serrated), twisters (drivers), scrapers (files), cord cutting hooks, pole locks (primitive hex keys), reamer, and picks (for locks and mechanisms). None of these tools are over 4” /10cms in length.

In fact, many Mechnicians seeing a demand for these simple tools by those with a touch of mechanical skill have taken to creating them in mass (1*). Some are even making them for other crafts: leather makers (with tiny punches and a hook), wood crafting (more blades and a screw stamp), jewelry making (crimpers and picks).

1* Remember that these tools might be mass produced, for their day. That is many pieces of the same type forged individually over time… just like a blacksmith might make a number of knives.

Magic/Cursed Properties
None. This is a mundane object.

Extra Notes
While things of the same basic idea existed, in terms of documentation, as early late 1600s (for spies actually), there was no drive or need to create such items on a regular basis until 1890s.

Technologically, these items can be made, in small numbers, with only the existence of medium grade steel and a hammer bend fold technique (for making the handles), both widely in existence in Europe since the 1100s. Now these items are nearly as precise as their more modern counterparts, because of their hand crafted nature.

All it would take is someone to make one, there to be a real need for a certain group of people to have one, and a large enough group of key people to say “good idea” to make this item (and others like it) prevalent. A large enough guild would fit the bill properly. Several setting have prevalent guilds that cross city and state boundaries.

Besides who is making all those traps and locks anyways?

Since these tools would make their guildsmen more efficient (having all tools right there) there are latent and manifest reasons for the item to become a common hurdle. Eventually, they would become the same as a wizard’s staff… a really useful item for a given profession. The creation of a standard tool would help lead to standardization in other aspects of their craft. This would actually lead, after a generation or three, to a more efficient and technically superior guild.

If you need a visual, look for an image of the Leatherman or SOG device.

Additional Ideas (0)

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well, since Strolen caught me staring at this sub today, with his new, handy dandy spy camera, I guess I should vote. I love items/objects like this. Good work Moon! Thanks for the visual! Also, what valadaar said.

I had not thought of that. This is just in the back of my head. It is one of the "genre conventions" of adventure/ gaming fantasy - like the Thieves Guild or Wizard's Guild. For me, it come from the way back of Fantasy Trips. It was mentioned in early fantasy GURPs products and Arduin Grimoire ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arduin ).

This kind of submission is my favorite kind. It is a small thing that fills in a nitch in the world. Most people have only so much time to invest into their world/ setting. They are going to spend that time on "the big things". We should be publishing the small things that they can grab and run with, allowing them to fill out their campaign with all those great details that make them come alive.

For those that have not seem them, follow the "Tools of the Trade" free-text link.

Freetext

A certain culture has a curious pass-time- muscle art.
Muscle artists (who are called by a special name) work hard to sculpt their bodies, trying to become as muscular and buff as possible. The best among muscle artists look almost grotesque in their amazing muscularity, Atlas-like giants with shiny, oiled iron arms and legs.